A Guide for the Married Man (1967)

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Absolutely the worst movie.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This film is closing in on its 50th anniversary and as would be expected, many of the cast who had cameo appearances in A Guide for the Married Man are no longer with us. If this were to be one of their last films then they can rest assured that they went out in style. Walter Matthau plays Paul Manning who is an Investment Counselor who is married with one young daughter so he is a family man. Now Paul is married to his perfect and beautiful stay at home wife named Ruth also played to perfection by Inger Stevens. The film revolves around Paul Manning wanting to fulfill some of his many passionate dreams of having extra marital affairs with the many beautiful women who surround him both at work and around his home. None are more desired by Paul than his next door neighbour Mrs. Irma Johnson played superbly by sexy Sue Ane Langdon, who in this film it would seem Irma's butt received more exposure time in the film than her lovely face and charming personality.Paul receives guidance on how to succeed in his desire to cheat on his wife Ruth, from one of his peers in his office named Edward L Stander played by Robert Morse. (Robert Morse played the same role on Broadway as well). Now Edward has expressed to Paul that he has much successful experience in cheating on his own wife to share with Paul and the pitfalls to avoid that he can share with Paul. Through numerous cameo appearances by top rated stars such as Lucille Ball, Joey Bishop, Jack Benny and Jayne Mansfield to name a few, Paul's coworker and adulterous tutor Ed provides Paul with his wealth of experience in how to get away with his cheating ways by explaining to Paul how some of his known acquaintances met their own demise by simple mistakes. Through these five minute cameo appearances by a list of all-stars we get to see how each of them failed or succeeded with their sexual encounters. One of the more enjoyable cameos was with Carl Reiner travelling completely around the world by air, sea and land, to hook up with his mistress only to be caught on camera by his wife when he finally arrived to hook up with his mistress. The 1960's were simpler times but I still love these comedies that are filled with an all-star cast, five minute cameos, and which usually provide a subtle message to men with wandering eyes. You can dream about your guilty pleasures but if you choose to really act upon them is it worth giving up all that you have today? I give this classic film a 9 out of 10 rating and stand behind this movie theme. So sit back, enjoy the film, and stay true to your wife and family as there is none no better, just as A Guide for the Married Man explains. Loved it!9/10

To be completely fair, we can't really judge this film by our 21st Century standards. This is a story of how a Married Man can cheat on his wife and get away with it. So, right there, the very premise of this movie is out of date.Gene Kelly, who was dancing less and less on screen by the mid 1960s, had the opportunity to step behind the camera a handful of times and helm some films. This is arguably his worst effort.And yet, the picture isn't without its charms. Walter Matthau is endlessly watchable even when he has very little to work with, and he's doing the most he can to make this worthwhile. It's a difficult circumstance because we're meant to believe that his character is married to Inger Stevens, and yet wants to stray just to get some strange. I guess if you'll buy that, you'll swallow the premise whole.Also you have Robert Morse, straight from his effort in the Broadway smash turned Hollywood musical, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," who continues to instruct in the ways of attaining his goal. This time, it's extra marital hanky-panky he's after and he knows, like a book, exactly how to avoid the pitfalls and pratfalls of a bad situation, so he can enjoy some of the other women in his life without letting wifey know about it.The best part of the project are the "instructionals" offered to illustrate every situation Morse tells Matthau about, featuring cameos by the likes of Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Sid Caesar, Terry-Thomas, Jayne Mansfield, Phil Silvers, Louis Nye, and the one most people who view the film favor, Joey Bishop. Really, if this movie were just a series of these vignettes, it probably would have been that much better!But we're stuck with these two unhappy hubbys who are determined to gain a conquest, much like the mountain climber "...Because it's there!" That part of the story is tedious, repetitive and, much like their attempts to score their mistresses, ultimately unsatisfying. A Guide for the Married Man is most effective as a time capsule, a Hollywood spin on the mindset of the people in the suburbs in the mid 1960s, and what they did to break the boredom of that surreality, or at least what they imagined might break it. I don't know how many men actually were wannabe lotharios, and if you believe this film it's basically all of them! But it is supposed to be a comedy (albeit with only a few mild chuckles, unfortunately), so keep a grain of salt handy, along with the fast forward button on your remote.

Wow. We really HAVE come a long way, baby.This is a classic 1960s-style sex farce, with lots of close-ups of boobs and bums. We are supposed to be endlessly amused by the education in adultery given by Robert Morse to a seven-year-itchy Walter Matthau, despite his marriage to bombshell Inger Stevens. And we might be, if it weren't all made up of puerile sophomoric leering. This is "Porky's" for the adult set.What makes it worse is that Matthau's attempt at actual adultery is nipped in the bud, in the final scenes, by his triumphant devotion to his wife. This is textbook 1960 sex farce morality--lots of leering and innuendo before inevitably reinforcing conventional morality.Revolting.

Walter Matthau pretty much carries this on his back for two hours while getting "how to score" advice from his buddy, Robert Morse. It's fairly cheezy stuff, but the women are beautiful, especially Inger Stevens as Walter's hot wife. No one looks better in a bikini that Inger (so soon before her fateful end).This kind of movie could never be made nowadays (it's no PC at all). Jackie Russell is gorgeous, and Jayne Mansfield has a hilarious with the great Terry Thomas, looking for a bra. Joey Bishop is actually funny for once and Phil Silvers and Jack Benny do their usual schmaltzy act. I still give this a 6!